China’s foray into the controversial and disputed South China Sea is not a new phenomenon. It is part of Beijing’s long term strategy to bring a large area of land and sea into its sphere of influence. This is being done by China mainly to harness resources exclusively. More recently, China’s firing of medium range […]
To the question of whether we should elevate the arbitral ruling upholding our maritime rights to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for enforcement, my answer is “Yes, but not now, not during this regime.” Why “Yes”? Because the UNGA is the best forum to help us enforce the ruling. Should the UNGA side […]
The geography of the Taiwan Strait, characterised by choppy seas, and rugged and mountainous terrain between potential landing zones and Taipei, provides the island with a defensive advantage. China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific over the last few months, from its strategic maneuvring of maritime forces in the South China Sea, to the successful passage […]
SOUTH CHINA SEA IS IN REAL DANGER OF SPARKING “ALL-OUT CONFLICT” AFTER DECADES OF ISOLATED INCIDENTS IN THE DISPUTED WATERS. China claims it has historic right of ownership to almost the entire South China Sea, despite a 2016 international arbitration ruling saying Beijing’s claim had no legal basis under international law. But the Philippines, Vietnam, […]
On Wednesday, Germany’s Federal Foreign Office announced a set of Indo-Pacific policy guidelines, becoming the second European nation after France to formally adopt a strategy for the Indo-Pacific region. According to a press release accompanying the announcement (the full 40-page guideline is yet to appear in English translation), the strategy is designed to allow Germany […]
THIS is not about the Chinese people, lest someone accuse me of being engaged in racist rhetoric and Sinophobia. This is about the Chinese state, the one headed by Xi Jinping and his Communist Party, the one that is taunting us like barbarians at the gate that we call the West Philippine Sea. This […]
“The United States hopes countries will examine their dealings with the China Communications and Construction Company (CCCC) which is specially targeted. Colombo, September 4 (US Embassy/newsin.asia): On August 26, the U.S. Department of State imposed visa restrictions on People’s Republic of China (PRC) individuals responsible for, or complicit in, either the large-scale reclamation, construction, […]
According to another unconfirmed and trending social media reports, the SU-35 jet crashed in Guangxi, an autonomous coastal region in southern China, bordering Vietnam, after intruding into the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. However, many users have flagged the report calling it false while some said that the fighter jet crashed due […]
The deteriorating situation in the South China Sea (SCS) is in reaction to the increased US activities in the area. Specifically, there are two aspects that could serve as flashpoints in US-China relations. First, the seeming appropriation by the US of the whole of SCS to implement its hegemonistic policy of “Monroe Doctrine” to make […]
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) mouthpiece Global Times recently raised the issue of Indian Navy warships operating in the South China Sea in an article titled ‘Is South China Sea card useful to New Delhi?’ This was in response to reports in the Indian media that India had ‘stealthily’ deployed a warship in the […]